The Upper Echelon
by Tikitorch559
Summary: It is said that people become legend because there was no possible way that they could not reach such heights, that if even their origins were to be to be determined with the role of a die, they would crawl their way from any situation right to the top. We will see. This is my tale, dictated by the threads woven by the hands of fate…at least for now. My name? Hyuga Neji.


_Chunin Exams Prelimaries_

_He is glaring at me, with righteous fury in eyes, his hands drenched in Hinata's blood, shouting accusations and threats…Interesting, I thought he would understand._

"_It was her choice to stand her ground in a fight facing a far more skilled opponent. She, the utter loser, chose to defy fate, and now she reaps the consequences, it is simply the way of the world. Lee stands beside you as a partner, a person who similar origins who will aid him in his fight to prove the power of hard work against unreachable talent. Do you believe the same? Do you think her an equal? A person that you can empathize with? Ridiculous. I have looked into for quite some time Uzumaki Naruto. After all, though you failed the graduation exam three times, another unexceptional orphan out of hundreds in our generation, nothing exceptional on first glance, but you were the one shunned by the populous, and, when you looked closer, feared."_

_He is outraged, about to interrupt to go on another tirade, no doubt, I do not allow him to do so._

"_You misunderstand me Uzumaki. You, who constantly skipped class, inadequate in every aspect of the ninja way, Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, learned Kage Bunshin in one day and took down a chunnin. Yet you constantly shout out your dream like a baboon, as if you, yourself, believe it a longshot, as if you are overcoming destiny itself. Ridiculous, you exemplify the blessings of fate; obviously talented, student of Sharingan Kakashi, son of White Fang, student of the Yodiame, gifted with one of the large Chakra reserves in this village and have a personal relationship with the Hokage. If that is not enough, you just took down the heir of the Inuzuka clan. Do not be deluded, you are the upper echelon, the select few with the potential to be Hokage, the one of the very people that Lee throws himself against to prove his worth. I will use you to judge my mine._

_He is shocked, have the words and actions of the mediocre ninja and civilians affected him that much? Pathetic. But he has always been quick with the blunt retorts, "Then why are you here? Why do you not concede in this tournament if I am in it? WHY DID YOU SAY THOSE WORDS TO HINATA? WHY DID YOU GO THAT FAR?"_

"_I never claimed I was different. If I am to join the hordes of ninja that threw themselves and died against those blessed by fate, I will die content. But I will not surrender, I will not step backward, and know this Uzumaki, you will only win over my broken corpse."_

My father approaches, weary yet pristine, always pristine, takes me by the hand and walks me to stand before his twin and my cousin, his daughter, standing right next to him, shy, kind. Cute, I had whispered. My father's pity was palpable.

I was young after all, deluded. I fed into the beliefs of my mother's that Hinata-sama would be the one to make the branch and main houses equal, to decrease the tensions that has existed in these grounds since I was born. It was understandable at the time. She did not hold herself with the cold condescension that was so typical in these clan grounds, but rather spoke to everyone, from the clan head to the servants, with same shy and respectful demeanor. It was refreshingly strange in a suffocating mix of resignation and superiority that plagued my home.

My mother was not the only one, many of branch clan spoke the world of her, and they had every reason too I suppose. If there was any chance of equality, of freedom, this kind and gentle heiress was it, but even with all its status, nobility, and rigidity, this was a ninja clan, one that carved its way to the top through a sea of corpses. Status, (unofficial in the case of the branch house) was determined by strength.

What happened next should not have been too surprising…The Yondaime is still spoken of fondly, he had strong ties to a branch member and his family back in the day and the stories had spread, kind, indomitable, powerful, this is how even the Hyuuga considered him. Then he died. Kyuubi is one of the strongest forces in the world, and any ninja that can stave must be beyond exceptional, but the point remains. After all, there will always be another war, another catastrophe, but the point remains that for the sake of mere stability, not change, not improvement, just simple stability took the life of the greatest ninja this world has even known, a man who was said (Hyuuga exaggerations tend sway toward realism than fantasy) to have mastered space and time. What chance did any of us have?

Hinata's weakness, however, went to a whole another low. She was too kind, too gentle, it was crippling, and her ludicrous lack of strength earth-shattering to the brittle hopes of the lower house. They thought they finally had a chance to escape the chains of fate. What have they to show for it? A woman taught by the strongest, but less capable than some of most mediocre of the servants, no vigor, no determination to force her will on the world. This was the piece of trash would be the one my entire life would be devoted too, to serve and to protect with my own. Absolutely no modicum of talent, soon eclipsed by her much younger sister...pathetic.

I was taken by my uncle to a chamber, underground. A person with any sense of drama would imagine being branded in subservience for life to be an exceptionally painful experience. It was not. My uncle tied a chakra enhanced blind-fold around my eyes. I felt some of my blood being drawn and someone took a paint brush to my forehead and arms. The blind-fold was removed, only the mark on my forward remained, and I was escorted out and life went on, and life went on, no different than before.

I was seated watching Hinata spar her father, while my own sat next to me explaining the purpose of the Branch clan, my purpose, to serve and protect Hinata. I was so proud, so happy that my father thought I was ready to take on this responsibility. I still bought into my mother's dreams for the heiress, for what she could, and seemingly would, do for us, my eyes fixated on her movements. Then her father gracefully brushed her aside, positioned himself in front of her, and a blood-curling scream arose next to me, my eyes watering even before I fully turned to the source.

I knew the structure of my clan, but I did not understand. I believed my father and my uncle were equals, but I saw, through my tears, my uncle standing there holding a hand sign over the writhing body of my father, calmly informing him to "remember his duty." That memory will be seared into my mind for the duration of my lifetime. Not because this was the moment that I truly understand the balance of power in the clan, or that my father indirectly threated the heiress as my father constantly assured me later (likely forced to do so by the Main house to assure my obedience), but rather because my father thought I was meant for more.

AN. Just some thoughts that have been rolling around my head for a few years. Let me know what you think, whether it be criticism, complements or apples.


End file.
